To Heart 2
To Heart 2 is a 2004 open-world action-adventure game developed by Drillimation Studios in collaboration with Rareware and published by Namco with Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox. The game was released on December 28, 2004. The game follows the story of a vulgar, raunchy teenager named Hiroyuki Fujita who must return home to his girlfriend, Akari Kamigishi, after a rough night of drinking beer. The game was originally supposed to be for the Nintendo 64 then the Nintendo Gamecube, but was shifted to Xbox after Microsoft bought Rareware. Gameplay To Heart 2 is an action-platform game where the player controls Hiroyuki Fujita through a series of 3D levels. The game features an overworld where players can transition from one level to another, although many are initially blocked off until Hiroyuki earns a certain amount of ingots. The overworld is an enclosed area in which the player can freely explore to find tasks to do. The gameplay mostly relies on figuring out a way to help other characters by completing a linear sequence of challenges. These challenges may include defeating a boss, solving puzzles, gathering objects, and racing opponents, among others. The result is always an ingot reward, which aids access to other areas in the overworld. Hiroyuki's abilities are far simpler than those of Drillimation's other platformers such as Mr. Driller and Angry German Kid. The player can run, jump, and smack enemies with a blackjack. Hiroyuki also has a few other physical abilities. He can swim underwater for a while until he runs out of breath, climb ladders or ropes, and is strong enough to push heavy objects. To regain lost health, Hiroyuki can eat bowls of rice that are scattered throughout the levels. Additionally, the game employs "context sensitive" pads that allow Hiroyuki to gain different, temporary abilities when pressing the "B" button atop them. For instance, in the beginning of the game, by pressing the B button on the first pad he encounters, Hiroyuki drinks some Alka-Seltzer to wipe out his hangover, at which point players can proceed forward. Some pads can turn Hiroyuki into an anvil to slam into the ground, and some are also used to pull out his shotgun, to activate his throwing knives, slingshot and so on. They also serve to inform players of what needs to be done next. Rating Summary This is the official rating summary of the Xbox 360 release: :This is an action-adventure game where players assume the role of Hiroyuki Fujita on a quest to return home to his girlfriend in feudal Japan. Players explore an overworld and complete mission objectives to further the plot. Players use Hiroyuki's blackjack to attack and kill enemies. Presented in a "cartoony" art style, large blood-splatter effects sometimes occur during combat, and blood frequently stains the ground. During the course of the game, players enter a strip club level and view several partially nude dancers, all of which are underage. The mission in this level requires players to avoid engaging in lap dances with the other dancers and rescue the central character's girlfriend from the club. The game includes brief sexual references and innuendos in the dialogue (e. g., "It's one of those guys from the school, how about we go and kick the ship out of him.", "Akari's all right. She was nearly pucked by those lap dancers."). The words "a*s", "sh*t", and "b*tch" are heard in the dialogue. Plot To Heart 2 follows the story of Hiroyuki Fujita, who finds himself lost in Kobe, Japan after a night of binge drinking with his friends, and embarks on a quest simply to return home to his girlfriend, Akari. Development The game was in development for seven years before finally being released. Development of the game began after the release of the first To Heart game for the Nintendo 64. Drillimation Studios' and Rareware's goal was to make sure the game got the same Teen rating with the first game. The game was being developed using the Driller Engine 3000 arcade board, but when Drillimation acquired the PlayStation 2, Nintendo Gamecube, and Xbox development kits in 2000, development of the game was shifted to the Nintendo GameCube after the creation of the Driller Engine 4000 board. In 2002, Rareware was acquired by Microsoft for $375 million, ultimately shifting the development to the Xbox. Microsoft won a deal with Drillimation to publish the game, with Rareware providing the assets. The Japanese version of the game contained strong bloody acts of violence and graphic nudity. The game had to be edited several times before earning a Teen rating from the ESRB. In fact, the game's director, Susumu Takajima, edited the game with something more vulgar every time the game was resubmitted. According to an interview, Takajima stated it as "they're freaking stupid and they don't know what they're doing". After through all this madness he went through, Takajima threatened to sue the ESRB for repeatedly rating the game "Mature" when it's toned down. Controversies Similar to the first game, there were numerous news reports of teenagers engaging in underage drinking, as depicted in the game. Like the first game the game was banned from being released in the Republic of Guy. To Heart 2 X-Rated After the game was released, members of the Mod Community created a mod that would enable the uncut Japanese version. This caused a lot of controversy that a ROM update had to be issued for the PC version. After an investigation, the mod got so out-of-hand that the hack had to be patched. When the original creators were banned, many Drillimation fans complained because it allegedly promoted pornography and pedophilia. Category:Video games Category:Fanon video games Category:User-made video games Category:Fake video games Category:Xbox games Category:PC games Category:Drillimation